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family · Wednesday 1 July 2026 · Various 
International Children's Arts Festival - The Braid, Ballymena
At The Braid Arts Centre · 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Co. Antrim BT43 5EJ
At The Braid Arts Centre · 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Co. Antrim BT43 5EJ
Each summer The Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena opens its doors to one of Northern Ireland’s most long-running celebrations of young performers and young audiences. The International Children’s Arts Festival draws children and families from across Mid and East Antrim Borough and further afield, putting dance, drama and the arts front and centre for young people aged 4 to 18. If you have children who love to perform, watch, or simply be swept up in a lively creative atmosphere for a few hours, this is worth a day of your summer.
The festival is built around performance and participation. Past programmes have brought together local youth groups, national touring companies and international performers, mixing ticketed shows with accessible arts activities. Dance and drama form the backbone of the programme, though the mix varies from year to year. The 2026 programme will be announced approximately four weeks before the event - The Braid’s box office is the place to watch for the full schedule and to book individual sessions or shows once they go on sale.
The Braid itself is a handsome building on Bridge Street that doubles as Ballymena Town Hall and houses the Mid-Antrim Museum - a free permanent collection covering the history of the Braid river valley and the wider area. Arriving a little early or leaving a little late gives you time to take in the museum at no extra cost.
Ballymena sits on the A26 roughly midway between Belfast and the north Antrim coast, about 30 miles north of Belfast city centre. By car from Belfast, the M2 motorway runs most of the way; allow 35 to 40 minutes. From Coleraine or the coast road, take the A26 south - around 20 to 25 minutes.
By public transport, Translink runs frequent bus services into Ballymena from Belfast, Antrim, Coleraine and surrounding towns. The town’s bus station is a short walk from Bridge Street and The Braid. Ballymena does not have a rail station, but connecting bus services link from Antrim station on the Belfast-Derry line.
Street parking and town centre car parks are available within easy walking distance of Bridge Street. The town centre is compact and straightforward to navigate on foot.
Ballymena is a busy market town with a good range of cafes and shops in the town centre - useful if you are filling a day around the festival. There is more to see in Ballymena and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to The Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Ballymena area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.